rant
Americanverb (used without object)
-
rants,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ranted,
past participle, past
-
ranting
present participle
verb (used with object)
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rants,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ranted,
past participle, past
-
ranting
present participle
noun
-
rants
plural
-
ranting, extravagant, or violent declamation.
- Synonyms:
- extravagance, bombast
-
a ranting utterance.
verb
-
to utter (something) in loud, violent, or bombastic tones
-
(intr) to make merry; frolic
noun
-
loud, declamatory, or extravagant speech; bombast
-
a wild revel
-
an energetic dance or its tune
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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rantsimple
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rantssimple
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have rantedperfect
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has rantedperfect
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am rantingprogressive
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are rantingprogressive
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is rantingprogressive
-
have been rantingperfect progressive
-
has been rantingperfect progressive
Past
-
rantedsimple
-
had rantedperfect
-
was rantingprogressive
-
were rantingprogressive
-
had been rantingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rant
First recorded in 1590–1600, rant is from the Dutch word ranten (obsolete) to talk foolishly
Explanation
A rant is an argument that is fueled by passion, not shaped by facts. When the shouting starts on talk radio, or when a blog commenter resorts to ALL CAPS, you're almost certainly encountering a rant. Rant comes from the Dutch ranten, "to talk nonsense." Rave is a close synonym — in fact, "to rant and rave" is a popular expression. When rant is used as a noun, it means something like tirade. The first recorded usage of rant is from the end of the sixteenth century, in Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor. By the middle of the turbulent seventeenth century, the name Ranters was used as a catchall pejorative for various groups of radical Christian dissenters.
Vocabulary lists containing rant
Instead of "Said": Vexed Verbiage to Express Anger
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"The Hunger Games" Vocabulary from Chapter 1
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The Secret Life of Bees
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Simeone, when asked to respond to Mourinho's refereeing rant, said he was always respectful of everyone else's opinions.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
I called Erica Walker, an epidemiologist who runs Brown University’s Community Noise Lab, to rant at a polite volume about the speakerphone epidemic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
And while I could rant about the division of labor and parenting when it comes to different-sex couples, I actually don’t think gender has anything to do with your problem.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
Jane Wickline expressed her anger at people caring that she’s always late in a funny musical rant.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 2026
Given that my rant is disguised as a question, it takes him a moment to decode.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
The rants have set off a storm on social media.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
“The talent have talent,” Carpenter tells Cricket during one of his endearing rants.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
That tattoo and the social media posts -- which Platner explains respectively as the result of a misguided outing during his Marines days and dark post-combat rants -- highlighted the risk of running untested candidates.
From Barron's ● May 3, 2026
"Mine lets me post unhinged rants at 7am," replies another.
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2026
If they were going to miss his rants and all his knowledge about random animals and insects, and if Shelly would be able to spot a bedbug like he had taught her.
From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds
Actor Ryan McCartan ranted on Instagram about poorly timed giggles during his performance in “The Great Gatsby.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
Sometimes members of the audience would pass out while he tirelessly ranted about some arcane subject that mattered little, but he would draw applause nonetheless.
From Salon ● Jan. 2, 2026
“That’s the whole meaning of life, isn’t it — trying to find a place for your stuff,” Carlin ranted.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 21, 2025
Paul ranted against the “petty vindictiveness” of the move, how “the level of immaturity is beyond words,” how he had lost “a lot of respect” for Trump, and how it wouldn’t stop him.
From Slate ● Jun. 14, 2025
“Who taught him any different?” the woman ranted.
From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman
It turns out tech guys ranting on X don’t have the same influence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
In the same week that the pair were ranting over historical “accuracy,” Michael Kratsios, the president’s science adviser, proposed overhauling the government’s approach to funding the sciences.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
It’s the kind of passive shuffle people do when faced with someone unhoused asking for money, or when someone having a mental health crisis begins ranting in the streets.
From Slate ● Oct. 22, 2025
The neighbors asked the Pierrats to trim their gum trees and Marc flew into a rage, ranting about a supposed plot to spy on them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2025
Mobs of sick and injured men began ranting incoherently and running and jumping in the aisle as though the building were on fire.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
